Sunshine and Rain

So, today we started out where we ended yesterday. We made our way back to Mount Rushmore. We walked the Presidential Trail and took lots and lots of pictures of the four presidents. We learned a lot about the sculpture Gutzon Borglum. Samuel was so excited; I bet he read everything there was to read in the exhibit hall and had read every brochure he could find.

We ate a very good meal at the cafe with a view of the presidents. What is so amazing is that the monument can be seen from so far away and from just about any angle. One can read that the faces are 60 feet in length and the noses are 20 feet in length and that a man sculpting an eye can actually do the work from inside of that eye, but you still can't grasp what an enormous feat this was and what dedication it was to complete-a great memorial to four of our most prominent Americans. How deserving they are.

Between Jacob and I, we probably took 75-100 pictures just at Mt. Rushmore. We took one last picture before we left. Barry has been here before with his family and Barbara Jo was Elizabeth Ann's age at that time, so we took EA's picture and sent it to her Aunt Jo.

We left Mt. Rushmore and headed to Wall, South Dakota. Now you say, "What is in Wall, South Dakota?" Well, not much, except Wall Drug. It is the largest drug store in the US. We walked from room to room giggling at all of the STUFF that was crammed in. One could get anything from a homemade maple-glazed donut to a rhinestone belt buckle. The new attraction that had been advertised for miles was a T-Rex dinosaur exhibit. Yes, a roaring dinosaur at a drug store. You think CVS could top that!

From the Wall Drug store we were about 10 minutes from the Badlands National Park.The landscape was such a drastic change from what we had seen in the rockies, that there was no comparison between the two. This was a good weather day as far as thunderstorms are concerned. it is amazing for how many miles one can see out there. We watched 2 different storms develop and of course took lots of pictures.

We got out of the car to walk a very short trail. I was very reluctant because a storm was so close by, and the lightning was getting closer. We got over half way down the trail, and we started getting pelted with some of the largest raindrops I had ever seen. I'll tell ya, it was every man for himself. By the time we got back to the car and the laughing stopped, I claimed rights as the better forecaster of the bunch. Elizabeth Ann had had enough. She was ready to get her book stamped and move on. Of course, we laughed and laughed at each other and to say we were soaked was an understatement. We stayed wet for hours.

We finally made it to the National Park Headquarters and got our books stamped. We traveled more thru the park and made a few more stops for Kodak moments and at one point Elizabeth Ann had checked out. We are making comments about what we are seeing and taking pictures out of the windows and Elizabeth Ann says, "Does anybody have a brown crayon that I can borrow?" We crack up, and she is serious. At all of the park offices, there are junior ranger books with kid activities, well she was determined to get hers finished.

Anyway, we finally made it back to Rapid City and decide that we are not presentable enough to go into any civilized restaurant, so we pick up pizzas and head back to our hotel.

We are having a wonderful trip! Hope everyone back home is well

Till tomorrow . . .